The Nou Project to exhibit at Untitled Miami

Nour Al Tamimi and co-designer Basma Chidiac are launching a limited edition range of sneakers at Untitled Miami today. Buro 24/7 Middle East has the details...

Saudi-born designer Nour Al Tamimi and Lebanese-born Basma Chidiac are the brains behind cult footwear label The Nou Project. The label has garnered a significant following since launching this year and has already landed in Level Shoes.

The next exciting venture for the brand is a limited edition collection of sneakers, designed in collaboration with three global artists, to be debuted at Untitled Miami art fair today.

The collaboration came about after the pair met Omar Lopez Chahoud, the fair's Artistic Director, in New York. From that meeting, they were introduced to Jeffrey Lawson, Untitled Miami's founder, who then offered the brand a space at the event.

The Nou Project teamed up with three artists exhibiting at the fair — Jamie Felton, Eric Yahnker and Nika Fontaine — to create three exclusive designs. There are only 55 pairs available of each at the fair, however the designs will also be sold on the brand's dedicated e-commerce site moving forward.

The collaboration marks the first time sneakers have been sold at the fair, which Nour called "an incredible opportunity and a huge honour."

On how their Middle Eastern heritage informs their label, Nour exclusively told Buro 24/7 Middle East: "The Middle Eastern creative pool is growing rapidly and it is incredibly important to showcase the emerging talent from the market to international communities. We think of The Nou Project as an international brand; with backgrounds across the US and Europe and family and friends around the world, we have a very worldly outlook. It is important to bring this cultural understanding into our work whether it's the GCC, Europe or Asia. We believe it's of great value to bring our international experience and wide cultural knowledge to art."

As for what they hope to achieve with the brand, Nour explains, "Our main aim was to bring artists from around the globe a new medium to express themselves: the sneaker. With millennial preferences and new consumer behaviours changing regionally and internationally, talent and creativity has to adapt. Our aim is to bring together all corners of the world through art and design."